Uses for Old VHS Cassette Tapes

Over the past 35 years or so, we’ve been creating videos of wide-ranging content, family history, business presentations, family reunions, high school reunions, keynote speeches; the list goes on and on. The result is a huge video-tape storage problem. Cupboards and drawers all around the house are (were) crammed with VHS tapes. The tapes were deteriorating over time – and we never watched them, but didn’t want to toss out all this great family history.

I took three huge boxes of tapes (about 350) to a local video service (Audio Video Workshop, RWC) to have them digitized. I got back a 2TB external hard drive containing all the digitized tapes, AND all the original tapes. Turns out they cannot be recycled due to the Mylar tape used in the cassettes. I found sites online that show you how to make furniture out of old tapes. My latest project is a succulent planter box. More to come. Stay tuned.

P.S. I use a hot glue gun to hold them together.

From a Google search:

The outside case of the VHS tapes is made from #5 plastic (Polypropylene). The tape inside is made from #1 plastic but is coated in a few different metals, making it difficult to recycle. The Mylar tape is actually hazardous due to the metals on its surface.